Natural Resources Youth Camp

By Sue McMurray

The old saying “idle hands are the devil’s workshop” bears true, especially in the summer when kids are out of school with nothing to do.

Thanks to a natural resources camp that University of Idaho Extension will operate this summer for the 53rd year, Idaho parents can plan ahead for at least one week’s worth of activities that will keep the hands and minds of their 12 to 14 year-olds very busy learning about wildlife, rangeland, forests, water and soil in Sun Valley’s scenic landscape. The camp is located north of Ketchum along Idaho Highway 21.

Camp begins at 12:30 p.m. on June 27 and ends at 10:30 a.m. on July 2. Registration for the camp will cost $205 until May 21. The late registration fee will be $225. Scholarships may be available through local Soil Conservation Districts statewide. More information about the districts is available from Nancy Weatherstone at (208) 888-1890, ext. 102.

During camp, volunteer staff and collaborating faculty from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the College of Natural Resources encourage participants to think about and debate natural resource issues and help Idaho protect its abundant natural resources for the future. Additional activities include leadership training, hiking, fishing, volleyball, firearm safety and target shooting, and fireside sing-alongs.

The camp is sponsored by the University of Idaho Extension and the Idaho Association of Soil Conservation Districts. Other agencies that cooperate with Natural Resources Camp activities include the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Idaho Department of Lands, Soil Conservation Commission and USDA Forest Service.

Applications for the camp are available from soil conservation district or University of Idaho Extension offices. More information or applications are available by calling Megan Satterwhite, camp coordinator, at the university's Twin Falls Research and Extension Center at (208) 736-3634.

Camp information is also available online at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/nrc.